The pictured version of Arwen’s Mourning Gown was a rescued costume!  My client had commissioned this dress for her daughter from another seamstress and was upset with the quality of the outcome.

Photos here are of the dress under construction, so it’s missing the buttons and pardon the shots of pins and my VERY messy sewing room!

I was able to salvage the skirt and lower sleeves from the original dress and matched my own stock of black velvet to make a fitted bodice and upper sleeves.  We decided to lace up the back instead of a zipper so she could have some room to grow (photos show the zippered version).  The trim was something I found in the LA garment district with this dress in mind. 

I appliquéd an insert of salmon red dupioni silk at the center front neckline and used the same material for the sash.  

The buttons are from Hushco and are as close a match as anyone has been able to find.  I aged them a bit by painting on slightly diluted black acrylic paint and wiping it away before it dried completely, allowing the dark color to settle in the button design.

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